Continuous-sheet-rolling apparatus



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W. M. BLECKER CONTINUOUS SHEET ROLLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 7, 1925 5 Sheets-Shea?.

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w. M. BLECKER CONTINUOUS SHEET ROLLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 7, 1925 5 Sheets--Sheel 5 llllllll|Unull"nuunullununxl atto L nuja Patented Apr. 24, 1928.

UNiTsD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM M. BLECKER, 0F CANTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO EDWARD' LANGIENBACH,

OF CANTON, OHIO. i

CONTINUOUS-SHEET-ROLLING APPARATUS.

vApplication filed December 7, 1925. Serial No. 73,527.

'lhis invention relates to the continuous rolling of sheet bars, light plates or slabs into sheets of desired gauge, and the object of the improvement is -to provide an appa-ratus in which sheet bars, light plates or slabs are heated and passed continuously through a series of roughing mills, being matched or piled once, twice or more depending upon the gauge of sheets to be rolled, the. pieces being then reheated and automatically doubled, if sheets under 22 gauge are desired, and then continuously passed throughlinishing rolls through side. and end shearing apparatus, then through a continuous annealing furnace and finally through sheet level# ling and opening mechanism and onto a cooling table; each 'succeeding stand of rolls throughout the train being operated at al higher speed than the preceding rolls in order to accommodate the increasing length of the bars or sheets as they are passed through each stand.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which p Figure 1 is a plan sectional view of 'the forward end of the train of apparatus showing the bar heat-ing furnaces, wire scrubbing rolls, the first series of four stands of roughing mills, the first matching table and the first stand of the second series of roughing mills;

Fig. 2, a longitudinal sectional view of the same;

Fig. 3, a plan lsectional view showing the continuous reheating furnace, used for rolling sheets lighter than22 gauge, the remaining three stands of roughin mills in the second series, the second mate ing table and the Erst stand of finishing rolls;

Fig. 4, a longitudinal sectional view of the same; v

Fig. 5, a plan sectional view showing a o continuous sheet reheating furnace located beyondthe first stand of finishing rolls, the second and third stands of nishing rolls, a continuous sheet reheating furnace used for lighter than 22 gauge sheets and the fourth stand of finishing rolls,

Fig. 6, a longitudinal sectional view of the same;

Fig. 7 shows the last two stands of finishing rolls and the side trimming apparatus used for` heavier than 22 gauge sheets;

Fig. 7a is a cross sectional view taken on the line 7a a of Fig. 7. i

Fig. 8, a vertical longitudinal section of thesame;

Fig. 9 shows the sheet end trimming apparatus, the continuous open annealing furnace and the sheet leveler used for sheets heavier than 22 gauge; Fig. 10, a vertical longitudinal section of the same; Fig. 11, the. pack loosening and opening apparatus and cooling table for sheets heavier than 22 gauge; 1

Fig. 12, a vertical longitudinal section of the same;

\ Fig. 13, a plan sectional view of the doubling apparatus, continuous open sheet furnace, the first stand of finishing mills Vand the the first stand of edge straightening rolls, for rolling sheets lighter vthan 22 gauge;

Fig. 14, a vertical longitudinal section of the same;

Fig. 15, a plan sectional View of the remaining alternate finishing mills and edge 'strengthening rolls which succeed those ings.

One or more continuous bar heating furl naces 1 are provided for heating sheet bars,

light plates or slabswhich are placed on edge in the furnace as indicated at 2 and continuously moved therethrough as by a pusher 3, the bars being pushed from the furnace one at a time, as they are properly heated, ,and dropped flatwise upon a lroller table 4 upon which they are carried between a pair of wire scrubbing rolls 5 which remove the loose oxide from the bars.

The bar is then passed successively i I ated at a higher speed than the next preceding stand'. The piece is entered into the bite of the rolls of each sta-nd by an automatic straightening and conveying device which comprises a pair of endless chains 10 mounted u on sprockets or rollers 11 driven pret'- erably by an electric motor which drives the adjacent stand of rolls.

Each pair of these chains is connected by a bar or rod 12 arranged to be engaged by the piece which automatically throws in a clutch to operate the sprockets 11 from the motor. The chains are revolved around the sprockets, the piece being conveyed upon the chains into the bite of the rolls, until the bar 12 1s again in its original position-when the clutch is automatically thrown out as luy-operation of a limit switch.

The bar is reduced in thickness and increased i'n length as it passes through each succeeding stand of roughing mills and for this reason each succeeding stand is spaced a greater distance from the preceding stand and is operated ata higher speed.

In roughin 22 gauge the ars as they pass through the stand 9 of roughing rolls are deposited upon a matching table 13. This matching table is formed by inclining one section of the table toward the center as shown at 14. A pair of chains 15 are located `around sprockets 16 carried by this inclined portion of the table, said chains being connected by a bar 17. d

This matching table is only used for rolling sheets lighter than 22 gauge. Straightemn fingers of usualV construction are `preferab y provided u on the matching table for properly straig tening the pile; When two sheets have been piled or matched upon the inclined portion of the table, as shown .in Fig. 2, the sprockets 16 are manually set in operatiomthe bar 17 engaging the rear edge of the pile and pushing thesame into the bite of the rolls in the stand 18 of rough-y similar to the table 14, where t ing mills. Where heavier than 22 gauge sheets are to be rolled the sheets are not matched or piled upon this matching table but are carried singly into the stand 18.

Asmall continuous reheating furnace 18a is located betweenthe stands 18 and 19 for use only where lighter than 22 gauge sheets are' bemg rolled. The pilesv are4 passed through the stand 19 to a roller table 20, thence through. a stand 21, upon a roller table 22 and through the final stand 23, of roughing mills. Each of the stands 18, 19, 21 and 23 is operated at a higher speed than the next preceding stand.

As the piles are passed through the last stand 23 o f roughing mills they are deposited upon another matching table 24,

ey may be bars for sheets lighter than sheets.

' When the proper number of piles ofl sheets has been deposited upon the matching table 24, the table is operated to move the pile into thebite of the rolls. of the lrst stand 25, of finishing mills, after which the pile is passed through asmall continuous open reheating furnace 26 and then successively through the stands -27 and 28 of finishing mills and, if rolling sheets heavier than 22 gauge, vthrough a continuous open sheet furnace 29.

The usual roller tables are located between-the stands and suitable tension guides 29a are provided for properly placin the pile in each stand of rolls. In rolling s eets of 22 gauge or heavier the pile is'then passed through t ree successive'stands of n-ishing rolls Indicated at 30, 31I and 32, suitable roller tables and tensionl guides being P1103 vided between the same, and as the pile passes' through the last stand 32 of finishing rolls it is received uponan endless conveyer table 33 provided with magnets which are automatically energized as the pile passes onto the table, thus 4holding the pile rigid as it is moved, by the table, through the rotary shear blades 34, Which trim the side edges of the sheets to the desired width, as shown at 35. i

The magnets upon the conveyer '33 are automatica ly deenergized as the trimming of the side edges of the pile is completed, releasing the pile and carrying it onto the roller .table 36 `by which the pile is conveyed to 4end trimming shears 37 which opcrate in a manner illustrated in the prior art, to trim the front and rear ends of the pile to the desired length, the trimmed pile bemg then conveyed by a roller table 38 through a continuous open annealingv furnace 39 and then successively through a roll. e1' leveler 40 and a loosening and opening apparatus41 which may comprise staggered pairs of rolls 42 which alternately bend the pile in opposite directions to loosen the This opening device may include a knife 43 located Within a'guide 44, the pile being drawn throu hthis guide and over the knife by the ro ls 45 which separate the sheets of the pile and pass-the same onto a roller table 46 by which the sheets are conveyed to a cooling table 47 of any usual and Well known design.

In rolling sheets lichter than 22 gauge, the apparatus is slightly dierent, from that above described, after 4the pile is assed through the reheating lfurnace 29. T e pile of light sheets after emerging from the furnace 29 is placed upon an automatic doubler, a pusher 48 or the like being used for this purpose. This doubler comprises a table 50, one-half of which, as indicated at 51,

.ward end of the heated Loomis is hinged at the center asat 52, a 'magnet 53 being carried by leach half of the table, close to the hinge joint.

As the pile 1s laced upon this table it engages 'a stop w ich automaticallA energizes the ma nets 53, holding the pi e rigid upon the table at points closed to the hinge joint. At the same time a clutch, connectlng a suitable motor with the rocker shaft 54, is thrown in, rotating thisrocker shaft in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 14. This rocker shaft carries a rocker arm 55 connected, by a link 56, with the hinged section 51 of the doubler tablethrowing this hinged section into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 14 and since the pile is held by the magnets, only at oints close to the hinge, the free ends of tie sheets in the pile are permitted to open as the pile is doubled, forming a pack as illustrated at 57 in Fig. 14.

When the hinged section of the doubler table reaches the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 14 it engages a stop which changes the clutch connection returning-the hinged sect-ion to the normal position and at the same time the magnets are automatically deenergized and the pusher 48 operated to move the pack from the doubler and upon a roller t-able 58 by which it is conveyed through a continuous open sheet furnace 59 and thence to the first stand 60 of a second series of finishing rolls. The upper lroll 61 of this stand is preferably of larger diameter than the lower roll in order to flatten the forack as it is well known that there is a ten ency for this forward end of the pack to bend or curve upward as it emerges from thefurnace. The pack is then conveyed through a series of alternate edge straightening rolls 62 and finishing rolls 63, each edge straightening roll being considerably smaller in diameterthan the finishing rolls and being smaller at its center than-at its ends so that the edges of the pack will be rolled down witho-ut striking the center of the pack and taking out the formof the preceding rolls, thus placing the pack in the next stand of finishing rolls as near to its original condition as possible and without breaking the pack open.

The pack is then conveyed through a side shearing apparatus 34 and end shearing apparatus 37 similar to the shearing apparatus 34 and 37 above described and then through a loosening and opening apparatus 4145 similar to the apparatus 41-45 above described and thence to a cooling table 47l of any usual construction.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for the continuous rolling of sheets from bars and the like, including 'a bar furnace, a series of roughing mills, a l

matching table, a second series of roughing mills, a second matching table, a series of finishing mills, and means for continuousl gle pass.

3. An apparatus for the continuous rolling of sheets from bars and the like, includincluding a ing a bar furnace, a series of roughing mills,

a matching table, a second series of roughing mills, a second matching table, a series of finishing mills, a doubler, a reheatingfurnace, a second series o-f finishin mills, and means for continuously passin ars through said apparatus and rolling t em to sheets of desired auge in a single pass.

4. apparatus or the continuous rolling of sheets from bars and the like, including a bar furnace, a series of roughing mills, a matching table, a second series of roughing mills, a second matching table, mseries of finishing mills, a doubler, a preheating furnace, and a series of alternate finishing mills and edge straightening rolls, and means for continuously passing bars .through said' apparatus and rolling them to sheets of desired gauge in a single pass.

5. An apparatus for the continuous rolling of' sheets from bars and the like, including a bar furnace, ay series of roughing mills', a matching table, a second series of roughing mills, a second matching table, a series of iinishing mills, a doubler, a second series of iinishing rolls, side and end shearing'mechanism, and means for continuousl passing bars throu h said apparatus and ro ling them to sheets o? desired gauge in a single pass.

6. An a parat-us for the continuous rolling of sheets om bars and the like, including a bar furnace, a series of roughin mills, a matching table, a second series o roughing mills, a second matching table, a series of fin-Y ishing mills, a doubler, a second-series of linishing rolls, loosening and opening mechanism, and means for continuously passing bars through said apparatus and rolling them to sheets of desired gauge in a sin le pass.

In testimony that I claim the a ove I have' hereunto subscribed my name.

WILLIAM MQBLECKER. 

